Etc.

Disaster relief
Verizon Wireless launched a program designed to make it easy for its customers to donate to disaster relief efforts targeted at China and Myanmar. The program allows postpaid customers to send a text message to the shortcode 4SAVE with the key word “quake” to contribute to earthquake relief or “cyclone” for cylone relief. The donations are made to Save the Children, which focuses on early childhood health and development, child survival and child protection. Each text message designates a $5 donation to the selected relief effort. Customers can send up to four additional text messages for a contribution total of $25 to each effort. The donations will appear on the customer’s next monthly bill. Messaging fees collected for the messages sent by customers as part of the program will be donated to Save the Children, said the carrier. The program ends July 31.
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Carrier, country-style
AT&T Mobility said it will be the official wireless sponsor of the NBC music talent search show “Nashville Star.” The show, which is new to NBC, begins June 9 and will feature text-in voting for the first time. “Text messaging has become a staple in everyday communication for millions, and it’s also becoming the most popular way for consumers to interact with their favorite television programs,” said Mark Collins, VP of consumer products for AT&T Mobility. The carrier has provided the text-messaging capability for Fox’s “American Idol” for several years.
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Be a Festival VIP
Virgin Mobile USA Inc. is offering a limited-edition Virgin Mobile Festival Special Edition Wild Card Phone from Kyocera Wireless Corp. that will give users access to the Virgin Mobile USA’s Guest Lounge at the MVNO’s festival in August in Baltimore. Customers will only have to flash their handset at the door to be admitted to the special guest area at the festival. The company said it will offer 15,000 of the special edition phone, plus one for CEO Richard Branson, through July 31 at Best Buy and Best Buy Mobile stores. The phone will sell for $100. The phone also comes with 50 music downloads from eMusic and a one-year subscription to SPIN Magazine.
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Weathering the contest
The Weather Channel Interactive is giving away a Research In Motion Ltd. BlackBerry device every day through June 20 to promote its mobile products The company said all visitors to its mobile Web site can enter for a chance to instantly win a BlackBerry or be entered into a drawing for a prize pack that includes a high-definition TV, a laptop computer and a BlackBerry enabled for their preferred carrier.